The New Story
by A Fire Nation Citizen
Summary: After the war in the Fire Nation there was a lot of disillusionment. Some people believed the new story, and others refused it. This story is told from the point of view of a little girl on Ember Island.


Zayla and her family had a home on Ember Island. Zayla was four years old when she first saw the play _The Boy in the Iceberg _and she loved it_._

Zayla remembered her favourite part was the happy ending. She loved happy endings. She remembered that the actor had spread out his arms and the world had turned pretty shades of red. There was fire and a comet with a long orange tale.

The whole theatre had erupted into cheers, and this made Zayla like the ending more. All the adults were so happy, so it must be the best kind of ending! Zayla had smiled and bounced up and down in her seat. The energy in the room was so cheerful and positive.

* * *

Zayla didn't remember anything else, but the beautiful scene at the end when the entire stage turned shades of red and black. She had only been four. She could remember the good old familiar Fire Nation emblem appearing. It was a symbol that made her feel happy, but she didn't know why. When she was older she was able to pinpoint these feelings as as contentment, appreciation for the familiar, and excitement.

So when she begged her mother to take her back to see _The Boy in the Iceberg _it was for that scene especially. She had been looking forward to the grand and exciting ending the whole play, the part where everyone cheered, but it never came.

The play ended with the pretty comet like last time, but the symbol never came and nobody cheered. There was not a lot of happiness like last time. People were calm. A few were smiling slightly, but there was something in the air she couldn't understand.

Someone nearby seemed to be trying to explain the ending to themselves. People kept saying things like:"Well it was really more Firelord Ozai's war than ours anyway," "the last play was all propaganda anyway," and one boy about her age asked "Why was Zuko so different?"

One woman hushed her husband when he complained a bit loudly about the play being something he called "propaganda and ridiculous lies." Everywhere there were people who looked a little confused and disappointed.

Zayla had noticed that people seemed confused like this other times too, like when news from the capital would come, or when those colonists began to move into that house on her street.

Zayla's mother had a sad look on her face. Her mother turned to Zayla and asked her how she liked the play. Zayla hadn't liked it very much and she told her mother so. Zayla, remembering that she had begged her mother to take her, guiltily added that she had remembered the play had a better ending.

Her mother smiled weakly. She had remembered a better ending too. Her mother was silent as they left the theatre, and most of the walk home.

"You must believe the new story" Zayla's mother told her as they neared their summer home. Zayla didn't understand what her mother meant.

"Zayla," Her mother explained after a thoughtful pause. "there is a new story and an old one. If you believe the new story, you will be happy. You are lucky to have this chance to believe it. Someday you will like the ending of that play."

Zayla doubted it.

* * *

Years later Zayla and her husband had a home on Ember Island, and a little girl, Aza, to take there. Once when Aza was six, they went to see a play called _Avatar Aang,_ and Zayla cheered.

So did her husband, and most of the theatre. Aza smiled and bounced up and down in her seat.

As Zayla and her family walked from the theatre Aza asked: "could we go back next year?" Zayla smiled, and asked her daughter how she liked the play.

"I loved it!" four-year-old Aza cried skipping in a circle around her mom. "The ending was the beautiful, and everybody cheered!"

"Yes it was a good ending wasn't it." her mother agreed, smiling at the memory.

Neither Aza nor her mother could remember a time when it was said that the Avatar was Evil.

* * *

About Zayla's family: Her grandfather, and father were both wealthy businessmen who made a lot of money selling Firenation things to colonials, and occasionally Earth Kingdom people.

The family now makes a great deal of money trading with Republic City and other former colonies.

* * *

Reviewers get fire flakes! :) (the good kind, not the colonial kind)


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